Hunting sable in Africa

Sable antelope scientific name: Hippotragus niger

Hunting sable in Africa is for the hunter who needs something else other than the standard impala and warthog. These animals are usually added to your collection towards the end of your average African hunts. Sable is expensive to hunt but adds the extra spice to an already fantastic hunting collection.

Hunting sable in Africa is not unlike hunting roan antelope. This is such a majestic animal that will contribute to your existing collection to the extent that you wondered how you could have been without one for so long. The horns curve back in a long sweeping arch with secondary growth indicated by the smooth last few inches of the horn tips. This is something you really want to have when hunting a superb trophy sable. Mature sable bulls have complete black coats and walk around like the own not only the property, but also your brand-new truck.

Juvenile sables are distinguished from adults by body color. Juveniles have a reddish-brown color that dissipates from the age of three years and older. Sable cows become sexually mature at the age of three. At this point the mature herd bull will defend his role as the Alpha male by forcefully evicting any potential competitors for breeding rights.

Sable antelope behavior

Once a calf is born, the mother will hide it in vegetation for the first two weeks of its life before introducing it to the herd. Sable antelope are gregarious animals, meaning they prefer to congregate in herds, rather than as individual animals.

Sable antelope are mainly active during the cooler morning- and late afternoon hours, but will venture to a water source during the midday period. Sable prefer wooded savanna type habitat with sufficient grass for concealment.

The Afrikaans language name for Sable is: Swartwitpens which translates to: black (with) white belly which is a very accurate and apt description of these fiercely proud antelopes. All sables have a very erect mane on the back of the neck and have white facial markings. The ears are rusty brown on the back parts.

Great care should be taken when hunting one of these beautiful antelopes because sable cows also have horns and a careless mistake can lead to the incorrect animal being hunted. The horns on sable cows are shorter than those of the bulls and have less mass. This is South Africa’s third largest antelope and will make a fine contribution to your collection.

Information on hunting sable in Africa

Sable hunting prices Africa

The cost of hunting sable in Africa for the 2016, 2017 and the 2018 sable hunting season was $ 6 500. Our sable hunting prices South Africa 2019 have been drastically reduced to $ 4 500 for the 2019 sable hunting season.

Our sable hunting prices South Africa are set for the whole of the 2019.

Caliber for hunting sable in Africa

The best caliber for hunting sable in Africa would be a medium bore rifle that you can shoot accurately and feel comfortable using. There are numerous calibers out there that will be able to effectively hunt sable with and we wish not to get involved in debating on the merits of each.

Mkulu African Hunting Safaris suggests the following calibers as being the best calibers for hunting sable in Africa:

7 mm Rem Mag

308

30-06

300 WSM

300 Win Mag and any comparable calibers.

Ammunition

Mkulu African Hunting Safaris preferred ammunition manufacturer is Barnes TTSX in just about any weight depending on which weight projectiles have a constant better performance in your specific rifle. Other premium grade ammunition manufactures you can use would be Federal Premium, Sierra and others.

Gun Scope

A good 2 – 12 X 50 gun scope should be sufficient for hunting sable in Africa due to a wide zoom range and a long eye relief which will allow for greater flexibility to view the cross-hairs quicker.

Average shot distance

The average expected shooting distance when hunting sable in Africa is 100 to 180 yards depending on the terrain you are hunting in.

Shot placement when hunting sable

Broadside shot

The shot should be placed right on the shoulder in line with the front leg, one third of the way up from the bottom of the brisket to the top of the hump on the back.

Quartering to shot

The shot should be placed at the spot bisecting the angle formed by the front legs, aiming at the inside shoulder at the same height as a broadside shot.

Quartering away shot

The shot should be placed at the spot bisecting the angle formed by the front legs, aiming at the same height as for a broadside shot.

Facing to shot

The shot should be placed where the bottom of the throat meets the chest.

Shot placement diagram for hunting sable in Africa

Gallery of sable trophy hunting pictures

Hunting sable in Africa video – rifle hunting

Tips for hunting sable in Africa

To walk-and-stalk when hunting sable is the traditional way of going about it. Both sable bulls and cows have horns and the one should not be mistaken for the other. Sable bulls have thicker and longer horns than sable cows.

Best time of year for hunting sable in Africa

Traditionally the bush in the best sable hunting areas is rather dense during our summer months from November to April. From June to August the grass starts to recede rather quickly and during September and October the daily temperatures start rising while the bush recedes to a minimum.

The best time of year for hunting sable in South Africa is from February to December with peak hunting times between May and October.